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Judge blocks Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks

A law in Mississippi that bans women from receiving abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a federal judge.

The Associated Press reported that U.S District Judge Carlton Reeves granted a temporary restraining order on Tuesday. It was sought by the state's only clinic that offers abortions.

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Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signed the bill — the nation's most restrictive abortion ban — into law earlier this week.

The law bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, down from a 20-week restriction already on Mississippi's books.

The measure took effect immediately. It featured some exceptions, including if a woman's life or a "major bodily function" is threatened or if the fetus has a health problem that would mean it likely wouldn't survive outside the womb.

It doesn't include an exception in cases of rape of incest.

"As I have repeatedly said, I want Mississippi to be the safest place in America for an unborn child," Bryant said earlier this month.

Abortion-rights activists called the law unconstitutional because it limits abortions before fetuses can survive outside the womb.

Mississippi already has some of the most restrictive laws in the nation, including requirements that a woman seeking an abortion must receive counseling before doing so and wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided.